Democrat Mark Dayton held a news conference in St. Paul today to discuss his gubernatorial campaign’s 87 counties in 87 days event. He wrapped up the event in Washington County this morning. Dayton said the top concerns he heard on the campaign trail are property taxes and the economy.

In a follow up q and a, he said he’s interested in passing a bonding bill next year, is thinking about backing a higher property tax rate on the most expensive homes and won’t disclose how much he intends to spend of his own personal wealth in the campaign.

“With his latest proposal to raise taxes, Mark Dayton might as well be putting up a ‘Minnesota: Closed For Business’ sign at the border. During these difficult economic times, it’s crazy to increase taxes on families and businesses. It’s no surprise since Dayton was born with a silver spoon in his mouth that he has no clue how to grow jobs. Frankly, it is irresponsible to talk about raising taxes, because just the specter of increased taxes on business will have a chilling effect on economic growth in this state. Where in the world does he think jobs come from? Dayton may have visited 87 counties in 87 days, but he didn’t really listen to one single person. Just a day after Minnesotans filed their 2009 taxes, Dayton’s proposal to raise taxes is yet another insult to their hard work.”

About the blogger

Tom Scheck has covered politics and state government for more than ten years for MPR News. He’s covered several gubernatorial campaigns, two statewide recounts, the presidential bids of Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann, U.S. Senate races, close Congressional contests and the Minnesota Legislature. He lives in Falcon Heights with his wife, son and dog. He can sometimes be found chasing a white ball on a golf course. It isn’t a straight walk. Tips are welcome at tscheck@mpr.org